No lead is safe in Top Fuel, Funny Car entering NHRA finale

By Gary Graves, USA TODAY

Reaching the brink of a championship says a lot about drivers and teams, who might need good math skills to go over the top in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series' Top Fuel and Funny Car divisions this weekend.

By Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire

Del Worsham, who won at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to cut Spencer Massey's Top Fuel to two points, said, "I feel good about going into Pomona."

Rather than calculate the possibilities — and there are many with 20 points earned for each round win along with qualifying and national-record bonuses available — the simple solution is just going out and winning the event outright and let the numbers speak for themselves.

"The problem is, with this category there are a million ways to lose and only one way to win," said Brown, whose semifinal-round loss to Worsham at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago yielded the points lead to Don Schumacher Racing teammate Massey. "So, you've just got to go in there. We always go into the last race in Pomona with nothing to lose."

Worsham had been slumping after entering the six-race Countdown to the Championship as the points leader, but he outpaced Massey in the Vegas final to return to the championship conversation.

That rebound should give Worsham momentum, but after seeing how tenuous the lead can be despite his class-high seven victories in 10 finals — besides the fact that Brown is the defending event winner — it's no wonder why he thinks winning will solve everything.

"I told my PR guy, 'We're not going to have a world champion until the Finals,' " said Worsham, who competed in Funny Car until this season.

"Everybody peaks at different times, and basically I feel good about going into Pomona right now with a win in Las Vegas, a brand new car that runs great and a team that's been in this position before."

Teammates Hagan and Beckman have traded the Funny Car lead since Mike Neff's seemingly invincible lead entering the Countdown evaporated behind a series of early-round exits, but those two have others to worry about besides themselves.

Two-time champion Cruz Pedregon, who has two Pomona victories, is 26 points behind Hagan. Neff is 34 back, with 2009 champion Robert Hight (-71) and Vegas winner Ron Capps (-72) in the hunt.

After seeing Hagan lose last year's title on the final day to John Force, Beckman knows any lead can be erased and aims for that edge to push him past his teammate while trying to keep the rest at bay.

"I'm gratified that we're able to run for the championship," said Beckman, a cancer survivor who has won three of five finals this year. "(Hagan) barely lost the championship on the last day, and I think that motivated them that much more. Neff has a super realistic chance.

"There are six Funny Cars going into (Sunday's eliminations) that can walk away with the championship."

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec can lock up his second championship by successfully defending his event title or advancing deep enough to hold off rookie Hector Arana Jr., who trails by 79 points. Krawiec has won two of three finals in the Countdown.

The only driver that can rest easy this weekend is Jason Line, who clinched his second Pro Stock title at Las Vegas and seeks to cap his season with seventh victory.

"This is the most races I've ever won in a year, and obviously to get the chance to win even more (is important)," Line said. "To go in championship-style obviously is my goal, so hopefully we can do that."

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.